Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imprinting apparatus, an imprinting method, and an article manufacturing method.
Description of the Related Art
An imprinting method is known as a method of forming a microscopic pattern on a substrate so as to manufacture a semiconductor device or the like. In the imprinting method, imprint material (such as light curable resin) is cast into a pattern that is formed on a substrate by using a mold having a relief pattern. If the substrate carrying the pattern is further processed in a state where a residual layer formed at the bottom of the pattern has significantly nonuniform thickness (in a state where the nonuniformity in the thickness of the residual layer is significant), a resulting article may fail to exhibit desired performance.
U.S. Patent Laid-Open No. 2007/0228593 has disclosed a method of reducing the nonuniformity in the thickness of the residual layer. Specifically, new data on the distribution of imprint material to be applied onto the substrate is created in accordance with the nonuniformity in the thickness of the residual layer that has been acquired by measuring the residual layer in a plurality of areas of the pattern formed of the imprint material. For example, a method of creating data on material distribution has been disclosed in which a larger amount of imprint material is applied to areas where the residual layer is expected to be thinner than in other areas.